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PERRY COUNTY, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — It’s been two years in the making.
After Buckhorn School was damaged in the 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods, students have been waiting for the day to be back inside the four walls they called home.
“Students, a lot of them lost their homes; a lot of their homes were damaged; they lost all their security blankets, and school is a place where you should feel loved, safe, and secure, and that kind of got ripped away from them too,” said Buckhorn School principal Jennifer Hickerson. “So being home, I think, allows the community to come back together and have that safety and security blanket.”
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The waiting game wasn’t always easy, with students traveling 45 minutes to an hour to attend school at A.B. Combs.
“It’s just a long drive and I know people had it harder than me, but that was just a struggle, trying to find a way up there, get around the ball practices and stuff,” said Buckhorn School senior Austin Riley.
Hickerson said she hopes being back in their community helps bring up attendance.
“Students missed a bus before, and parents had to transport them over an hour to get them to us,” added Hickerson. “So attendance took a hit when we were at our other location that they placed us at so we’re hoping attendance improves a lot this year.”
The walk inside the building is something some seniors Fox 56 spoke with said they never thought would happen before graduating.
“It was hard for a while; we really didn’t think it was going to be done before our senior year, but we’re so glad to be here with everybody else,” added Buckhorn School senior Haydyn Owens.
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However, some schools are still dealing with the aftermath of the floods.
Robinson Elementary students are still at A.B. Combs, and it may be 2-3 years before they’re back inside a building of their own.
“They’re currently trying to purchase property within our boundaries and we’re currently going through an architectural design with an architect. Once those are finalized, there will be a building process,” said Robinson Elementary principal Jamie Fugate.
Everyone Fox 56 spoke with said the community has always rallied together and will continue to do so.
“Your best resource is the people in your building, the people in the community, and the students in your building,” added Fugate. “By far, that’s the best resource any school has, and because we lost our building, but we didn’t lose each other.”
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